Battle of Prairie Grove

Collected by Merlin Mitchell
Transcribed by Irene Carlisle
Sung by Doney Hammontree
Bethel Grove, Arkansas
June 16, 1950
Reel 48, Item 1
Disced from direct song
The Battle of Prairie Grove
Come, all you sons of Iowa, and listen to my song,
And i f you pay attention, I ' l l not detain you long.
'Twas at the gallant charge we made at Prairie Grove,
Against the Southern rebels, with equal numbers strove.
Our officers were brave, they led us with good will;
A-being five to one, we charged them up the hill;
And volley after volley we made our shots to tell;
Our brave lieutenant-colonel and sergeant-major f e l l.
Through f i e l d s of blood we waded; the cannon's mouth did roar,
And many a brave commander lay bleeding in his gore;
And l o t s of gallant soldiers lay on the f i e l d that day
That had been k i l l e d and wounded by the 18th Iowa.
Although they were outnumbered, I thought they'd gain the day,
Until old Blunt's artillery on them began to play;
It made such a terrible racket i t put them all to flight;
They had to draw their forces in the cover of the night.
Our sorrows were next morning to see the rebels' wives
Come hunting their dead husbands with melancholy cries;
And sisters finding brothers, they wrang their hands and cried,
Saying, "Oh, you dead bloody brother, for the sunny South
you've died."
And now the battle's over; the soldiers rest from t o i l;
So carefully we placed our dead beneath the Southern soil;
We laid them all in order, as the forms of dress parade,
And placed a stone to each man's head, to show where he was laid.
ic

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Collected by Merlin Mitchell
Transcribed by Irene Carlisle
Sung by Doney Hammontree
Bethel Grove, Arkansas
June 16, 1950
Reel 48, Item 1
Disced from direct song
The Battle of Prairie Grove
Come, all you sons of Iowa, and listen to my song,
And i f you pay attention, I ' l l not detain you long.
'Twas at the gallant charge we made at Prairie Grove,
Against the Southern rebels, with equal numbers strove.
Our officers were brave, they led us with good will;
A-being five to one, we charged them up the hill;
And volley after volley we made our shots to tell;
Our brave lieutenant-colonel and sergeant-major f e l l.
Through f i e l d s of blood we waded; the cannon's mouth did roar,
And many a brave commander lay bleeding in his gore;
And l o t s of gallant soldiers lay on the f i e l d that day
That had been k i l l e d and wounded by the 18th Iowa.
Although they were outnumbered, I thought they'd gain the day,
Until old Blunt's artillery on them began to play;
It made such a terrible racket i t put them all to flight;
They had to draw their forces in the cover of the night.
Our sorrows were next morning to see the rebels' wives
Come hunting their dead husbands with melancholy cries;
And sisters finding brothers, they wrang their hands and cried,
Saying, "Oh, you dead bloody brother, for the sunny South
you've died."
And now the battle's over; the soldiers rest from t o i l;
So carefully we placed our dead beneath the Southern soil;
We laid them all in order, as the forms of dress parade,
And placed a stone to each man's head, to show where he was laid.
ic